The middle colonies of the U.S. - Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania - had no single system of religious beliefs. That's because they were characterised by a degree of religious diversity and toleration that was virtually unknown in the northern and southern colonies. This was due to the wide-range of people who lived there, who had each emigrated to the middle colonies and brought with them their own religious beliefs and practices: there were Mennonites from the Netherlands, Huguenots from France, Presbyterians from Scotland and Ireland, alongside Quakers and Baptists from England and Jews from Portugal. Many of these had fled religious persecution in their homelands and come to the U.S. for a peaceful and more prosperous life. There were also a high number of African slaves in the middle colonies and two native tribes: the Algonkian and Iroquois. With so many groups and so many religious beliefs, it was impossible for one group to dominate any other and so the middle colonies became known for their diversity.